June is a big month for harvesting and freezing berries for me. To make room in the freezer this week, I cooked up a pot of curry using frozen chicken, pineapple, and peas as the central ingredients.
Not to brag, but it is beyond delicious. The pineapple goes wonderfully with the coconut milk, and together with the lemongrass adds a nice acidity that is balanced by sweetness. It’s not cloyingly sweet, though — the effect is only a little stronger than when using sweet veggies such as carrots or sweet potatoes. It is decidedly a savory dish.
You can serve this curry over rice or cooked grains, but I prefer to eat it on its own so I can enjoy the broth to its fullest.
It’s important to follow the directions about adding most of the coconut milk at the end. If you pour the coconut milk in at the beginning, the long exposure to heat will cause the liquids and solids to separate, giving the curry broth a watery appearance.
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass (fresh or from a tube or jar)
- ½ teaspoon dried ginger
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 5 or 6 frozen chicken tenderloins (about 1½ pounds)
- 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock
- 1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
- 2 cups fresh or frozen peas
- 3 or 4 cups chopped fresh or frozen pineapple
- 3 green onions, chopped
Instructions
- In the bottom of the slow cooker, mix the curry paste, lemongrass, and ginger with a ¼ cup of the coconut milk until smooth and well blended. Stir in fish sauce and chicken stock. Add the chicken tenderloins.
- Set your slow cooker to low.
- When the tenderloins are no longer pink on the inside (2½-3½ hours in my slow cooker), add the cauliflower, peas and pineapple.
- Curry is ready when cauliflower is tender (1½-2 hours).
- Turn off heat and stir in the remainder of the coconut milk.
- Serve.
